Japan researchers grow a tooth in mouse kidney

Japanese bio engineers have succeeded in growing a tooth from cells implanted into a mouse kidney, using a technique that could create replacement organs faster than previously tested methods.

Biologists have previously cultivated teeth in a laboratory and successfully transplanted them into the jaws of mice, but Japanese researchers have hailed the latest development as offering much faster growth rates.

The latest method "saves about 10 days" compared to earlier techniques, said Tokyo University of Science professor Takashi Tsuji, who led the research.